Research

Microbial Ligand Recognition and Innate Immune Evolution

We study how vertebrate immune systems detect microbial molecules and how these microbial recognition systems evolve at the level of receptors, ligands, and gene regulation. A central focus is recognition of microbial proteins such as flagellin, a structural component of bacterial flagella that serves as a conserved microbial signal in host–microbe interactions.

We use Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) as a model system for microbial protein sensing, with particular emphasis on the diversification of TLR5 paralogs in centrarchid fishes (TLR5s and TLR5m). This system provides a natural framework for studying how microbial ligand recognition is maintained, modified, and functionally constrained across vertebrate evolution.

Using comparative genomics and phylogenetic analysis, we investigate how microbial sensing receptors evolve under selection imposed by microbial ligands such as flagellin, and how these evolutionary dynamics shape receptor function and signaling potential in innate immune pathways.

Computational and Genomics Workflow